Donatella Available to Coach at Sylmar 2nd Time Around

When the baseball coaching position at Marshall High opened in 1982, Gary Donatella jumped at the chance.

Sure, he rather would have coached at Sylmar, his alma mater, but the school was not hiring. The Marshall job had great appeal.

Then, two weeks after Donatella accepted the Barristers’ post, Sylmar Coach Danny Thompson resigned to take a position as counselor at the school.

“I wanted to work at Sylmar but I was already committed,” Donatella said. “I guess that’s the way life goes.”

Fortune recently has taken an unexpected turn for Donatella. As soon as his application is “processed through the district,” said Angelo Porco, Sylmar’s administrator in charge of athletics, Donatella, a 34-year-old resident of Panorama City, will replace John Klitsner at Sylmar.

Klitsner resigned last month after six years at Sylmar to coach at Mission College, a small junior college in San Fernando. Sylmar finished second in the East Valley League and advanced to the second round of the City Section 4-A Division playoffs last spring.

Neither Porco nor Donatella foresee problems that would hinder the intra-district transfer. “We’re just waiting for the finalizing of the paper work to take place,” Donatella said. Donatella played second and third base for Sylmar in 1971 and ’72. After graduating from Cal State Northridge with a teaching credential, Donatella coached the Spartan junior varsity in 1978 and ’79.

Donatella coached Marshall for six years, leading the Barristers to the City 3-A playoffs three times. Marshall lost in the quarterfinals twice and in the semifinals.

“I know how good the program is and how good it can be,” Donatella said of Sylmar. “I’m excited.”